The JCPOA: A Multilateral Audit of Compliance and Sanctions Relief

While geopolitical analysis frequently characterizes the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as a bilateral negotiation between Washington and Tehran, the agreement was fundamentally a highly structured multilateral treaty. Outside of the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, five sovereign nations were formal signatories and active participants: the United Kingdom, the French Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Russian Federation, and the People's Republic of China. In addition, the European Union (EU) participated as a distinct signatory and coordinating institution, represented by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. This group of world powers was collectively designated as the P5+1 (representing the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany) or the E3/EU+3 (denoting the three European states, the European Union, and the three remaining global powers).